Monday, May 4, 2020

Should One Go to Law School During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

COVID-19 is a Law School Disrupter

This COVID-19 thing is really changing the world, isn't it?
  Not only are many law school students taking their classes online (which was something that the ABA was never too fond of in the past), and some states are having some trouble with Bar Exam seats.  New York, for instance, stated that they would not allow test-takers from states other than New York to sit for the bar exam!  Now, there is a cry from some stating that one should not even bother with law school during this time.

"Above The Law" has recently come out with an article that states:  "Applicants should only consider a legal education if they have a passion for the law and should not let economic conditions influence their decisions about graduate school."  Yet, I wonder, when was this any different?  When I graduated from law school seven years ago, this was the same thing that everyone was saying.  It's no secret that 2010 to 2014 was a vile time to go to law school, and those who were unlucky to graduate during these times faced an uphill battle in terms of finding work and paying back their burgeoning student loans.  Now, the COVID-19 crisis is being used as fodder to state that one should still not go to law school.  Where does it end?

The article on Above the Law by Jordan Rothman states:
"Practicing law is sometimes a grueling profession, and people who do not have a passion for the law can burn out quickly. In addition, even though law school admissions officers might try to push how a law degree is a flexible credential, earning a JD has few uses other than practicing law. This is even more accurate when you consider that law school does a poor job of teaching the black letter principles that might be needed in business, compliance, and other fields related to the law."
I can't say I totally disagree.  The law is a rough profession to put it lightly.  Many don't know what they are getting into when they enroll in law school.   During my first year of law school, I had absolutely no idea what a lawyer really did day to day in their office.  I was not alone.  Since then I have written a book on the realities of life after law school.  It's not always pretty.  In fact, at this moment, I am not practicing law, but I am more of a writer and teacher, you could say.  Yet, I am still pretty entrenched in the legal field due to this website that is still kicking butt seven years since graduating law school.

Just because the world is going through a crisis does not bestow a license for one to bury their head in the sand.  If you want to go to law school, by all means, go to law school.  If you want to be a lawyer, but all means, do what you need to do to become one.  There's always room out there for a person with the drive to do what they want to do in life.  Sure, there's going to be some hurdles now with the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy, but that doesn't mean that you are doomed to fail. 

I have found that those who are driven in life are going to do well when others are failing because they are driven and those who fail have a mindset of failure that follows them throughout many endeavors in life, even law school.  This may sound harsh, but it is the truth.  I found that those who had set themselves up for failure were all too ready to walk right into a world of failure while those with the vision to succeed and the passion for the law found ways into careers that they were happy with.  Life is kind of like that:  You get what you put into something, and if you believe in yourself, you are much closer to the success that you dream of.  It's still hard work, but you are going to work a lot harder if you believe in yourself.  That's true whether or not there is a global pandemic. 

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3 comments:

  1. I agree that one has to follow their passion. If law school is what you want to do, by all means, do it. There used to be a ton of scam blogs that were against law school (third tier reality, inside the law school scam, etc.) and all of them kind of disappeared after a while. Yet, those who set out to do well for themselves in law school and hustled afterwards did well. I found it interesting how most of the naysayers who were so big four to five years ago all vanished without a trace. Nando, JD Painter, Campos and others are no more. Yet, law school continues. That's just how life is.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to read those sites and found it interesting that most of them died out. I guess their message didn't hold on like they thought it would.

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  2. I would wait a year or two. Use this time to study up on your LSAT and get a higher score. Get into a better school. Getting into a good school is better than graduating a year early. Use this time to get healthy, learn, and wait for society to get back to normal.

    ReplyDelete

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